Inside Amazon’s two-platform streaming strategy in India

New Delhi: At APOS Bali 2025, a media and entertainment summit hosted by Media Partners Asia (MPA), top Amazon executives shed light on the company’s dual streaming strategy in India. 

Gaurav Gandhi, Vice-President, Asia Pacific and MENA, Prime Video, Nikhil Madhok, Director & Head of Originals, Prime Video India, and Amogh Dusad, Director & Head of Content, Amazon MX Player, discussed how Prime Video and Amazon MX Player are individually positioned to serve India's diverse and fast-evolving digital content consumers.

Moderated by Vivek Couto, Managing & Executive Director, MPA, the panel explored how Amazon is catering to both cinematic and mobile-first audiences through differentiated offerings across SVOD (subscription video on demand) and AVOD (advertising video on demand) services.

Speaking on the rationale behind operating two distinct streaming services, Gandhi said, “India is a heterogeneous and diverse country with customers having very different needs. Both the services address two different sets of customers: Prime Video caters to customers who are subscription-ready, who have actually transitioned to streaming as their first choice or the only choice of entertainment. While Amazon MX Player is aimed at customers who are now transitioning from traditional media – TV or are still on it, but are not subscription-ready yet, though they are seeking high-quality premium content.”

He noted that while Prime Video has a strong footprint in living-room consumption through connected devices, Amazon MX Player reaches over 250 million users, predominantly on mobile.

Gandhi also elaborated on the distinct content strategies: Prime Video focuses on premium, high-quality cinematic Originals and international content across 10 Indian languages. It also offers add-on subscriptions (e.g., Apple TV) and transactional movie rentals. Amazon MX Player, in contrast, emphasises scripted dramas, unscripted shows, dubbed global titles, and now short-form storytelling.

Madhok highlighted Prime Video’s commitment to cinematic storytelling. He said, “We were very clear from the start that the local content in India had to be highly differentiated from television, but at the same time, when it lands up on the service, sitting next to our international content, it must be equally compelling, if not more."

He cited franchises like Made in Heaven, The Family Man, Paatal Lok, and Call Me Bae as examples of Originals that deliver cinematic quality and thematic depth.

“That's why we think very deeply about themes, and not just genres,” he said. “Earlier this year, we launched a horror show called Khauf. However, at its core, it is really about young women and the challenges they face when they live in large cities. It's about dealing with and overcoming trauma, with the genre of horror serving as the packaging."

Themes like nostalgia and reconnecting with roots also drive success for titles like Dupahiya and Panchayat, which resonate with urban audiences.

On the film front, Madhok outlined a broad strategy encompassing licensing, direct-to-service premieres, co-productions, and theatrical releases. Since 2020, Prime Video has launched over 65 movies across six languages directly on the platform.

Looking ahead, he added, “What I'm most excited about is what we're doing now as part of Amazon MGM Studios, where we are creating a very exciting theatrical slate. We recently announced Nishaanchi, directed by Anurag Kashyap, which will release in theatres this September. I'm happy to share that starting 2026, we will be releasing four to six movies in theatres every single year.”

Dusad emphasised Amazon MX Player’s unique approach to serving its massive, mobile-centric user base. He said, “We obviously acknowledge the vast diversity and multiple cohorts that might exist between the 250 million strong user-base that we have. So, it is a fairly heterogeneous market socio-culturally, and we draw the themes for our content from customer learnings."

He said content rooted in themes of aspiration and resilience, like rags-to-riches journeys and underdog triumphs, tends to strike a chord. Dusad highlighted the success of Hustler, a series capturing startup culture, and Aashram, which has crossed 200 million viewers. International dubbed content also plays a vital role in offering escapism and variety.

Looking ahead, Dusad announced the launch of MX Fatafat, a new format of mobile-first storytelling. “Many viewers primarily use mobile devices, seeking quick entertainment during brief moments throughout their day. That’s where MX Fatafat, serialised stories told in short, one-to-two-minute episodes, with 80 to 100 episodes per series, in vertical format, comes in. MX Fatafat is a fresh approach, requiring unique writing and production methods, and we are looking forward to launching it later this year.”

When asked about talent partnerships across platforms, Gandhi said Amazon is deeply committed to supporting India’s creative economy: “Whether it was about building cinematic long-form storytelling in India, which didn’t actually exist, to bringing learnings from around the world to better equip our partners… over 50% of Prime Video’s originals in development and production feature new talent either in front of or behind the camera."

He pointed to Dupahiya—developed by first-time creators—as a successful outcome of this approach. Gandhi also stressed that MX Fatafat will unlock new opportunities for emerging creators through active co-creation models.